Has anyone heard of sleep study ? What does it takes for my GP to recommend one for me??

You go to the sleep clinic in your local Hospital and they watch and monitor you while you sleep!

All it took for my mum to be referred was a visit to the GP describing her problem

Yes l had a sleep study a few years back. You go into hospital and they monitor your breathing etc overnight whilst you are sleeping to see if anything changes whilst you are asleep. They do it by putting a little probe on your finger which moniters oxygen levels and your heart rate. The doctor will then look at the results and discuss with you the best treatment for your condition. If your GP thinks you need a sleep study they will arrange one for you.
Good Luck

The usual reason for a sleep study is to investigate severe snoring or to diagnose sleep apnoea. Your GP will usually ask a few questions to see if any of the features of sleep apnoea r present such as:

Daytime sleepiness (not tiredness) eg. nodding off during less stimulating activities: reading, watching TV.

Spouse has noticed episodes of stopping breathing.

Patient experiences waking with choking / obstructed episodes (although he will only recognise a tiny proportion of the number actually occurring).

Regularly waking unrefreshed in the morning.

Neck circumference over 17.5 inches (thus usually, but not always, overweight).

Small pharynx on visual inspection.

If some of these features r present then referral for a sleep study is warranted. Hope this helps.

Here is a good link for more information-

http://patient.co.uk/showdoc/27001175/